Loading-beam.



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDUARD' SOHARRER, or OANNSTADT, GERMANY.

LOADING-BEAM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 699,021, dated April 29, 1902.

Application filed August 30,1901. Serial No. 73,794. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EDUARD SCHARRER, a

citizen of the German Empire, residing at' which the following is a description, refer-.

ence being had to the accompanying drawings rails for loading and unloading goods, boxes, cases, 850., onto or-from transfer and freight wagons, carts, cars, and for similar purposes.

The object of my invention is to provide a beam, rail, or plank for this purpose in which the advance of the object to be loaded to the wagon or the like'will be facilitated in such a way as to require the expenditure of a minimum of work, while at the same time any tendency to slip backward when, for example, the propelling force is removed or diminished will be effectually checked.

With these objects in View my invention consists in a loading-beam by which term I intend to embrace any beam and rail, plank,-

or similar device for this purpose-provided with antifriction devices so arranged as to be in operation when the object to be loaded is advanced toward the wagon or other re pository, but to be inoperative'when the object is released before the end of its path and tends to slip backward. Preferably the antifriction devices consist of rollers held in the beam or plank and projecting some distance beyond the surface of the same, said rollers being free to rotate in one direction, but arranged so that they are held or locked against a rotation in a reverse direction.

Other features of my invention will be so forth in the following description and particularly pointed out in the claims hereunto appended.

I will now give-a detaileddescription of my invention, reference being had to .the accompanying drawings, in whi cht Figure 1 represents a side view, and Fig. 2 a plan view, -of a loading-beam embodying my invention in its preferred form; Figs. 3 and 4, similar views, respectively, of the upper end of said beam on an enlarged scale; Figs. 5 and 6, transverse sections of the same on lines A A, Fig. 3, andB B, Fig. 7,1'espec tively; Figs. 7 and 8, a vertical longitudinal section and a plan view, respectively, of the lower end of the beam on the same scale as in Figs. 3 and 4; Fig. 9, a side elevation showing my improved loading rail or beam in use for loading a wagon; Fig-10, a similar view showing the beam used for unloading from a wagon; and Figs. 11 and 12, a longitudinal section and a plan view of a loadingbeam under my invention, showing a modified form of meansfor locking the antifriction-rollers against reversal.

As seen from the said drawings, a loadingbeam embodying my invention consists of the main portion or stock a, which may be of -wood or of any suitable material. One edge of said beam is provided with a suitable number of antifriction-rolls b, which are received in suitable recesses a of the beam and eX tend beyond the beam a suitable distance, as shown,-and which rolls 1) are journaled with their journals 0 in the sides of the beams. Preferably the journal-bearings e are formed in metal reinforcing-strips d of said beam, as shown.

In order to lock the antifrictionrolls 1) against a backward. rotation under the construction represented in Figs. 1, 3, and 5, the journal-bearings care made in the form of slots, which preferably may be inclined downwardly toward the bottoms of the recesses a, the said slots being so shaped and proportioned that when the rollers are in their forward'positions (indicated in-full lines in the drawings) they are perfectly free to rotate in the direction of the arrows, but when in the rear position (indicated by dotted lines in Figs. 3 and 7) the surface of said rollers 19 bear against the inner surface of the recesses a, so that the sliding friction arising'from the weight of the load on said rollers will prevent their backward rotation.

When the slots are downwardlyincl'ined, the rollers also sink back into the-recesses. Said slots e must always be so arranged that the rollers in their lowermost position will when unloadin convenience in loading.

The operation of a loading beam constructed as above will be obvious. When the box, chest, case, or other article to be loaded is pushed upwardly on the same when secured to the transfer-wagon, as indicated in Fig. 9, the antifriction-rollers b b facilitate its upward movement by freely rotating in the direction of the arrows in Figs. 3 and 7, the said rolls occupying the position indicated in full lines in said figures. A comparatively slight expenditure offorceishence required. When, however, the propelling force is released or diminished, any tendency of the article to be loaded to slip down the inclined beam will force the rollers b downwardly until their peripheries bear against the inner surfaces of the recesses a, whereby the rolling friction will be automatically converted into sliding friction, thus checking, or at least greatly diminishing, the liability of the article to further slide down the beam or beams. Usually two such rails are employed together.

In Figs. 11 and 12 I have shown a somewhatmodified form of locking device for the antifriction-rollers, which consists in a ratchetwheel b secured or keyed to the roller Z) in connection with a pawl b engaging the same. In this case the journals 0 have no lateral movement, as in the first example.

\Vhen it is desired to unload a Wagon, the beams are reversed, as indicated in Fig. 10, and the articles to be unloaded allowed to slide down over the smooth surface a of the said beam.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A loading-beam, provided with separate and independent freely-movable or looselymounted antifriction devices exposed at one of its sides or faces for direct engagement and movement in one direction by the material being raised, and individual means for looking or retaining each of the antifriction devices against reverse movement by said material; substantially as described.

2. A loading-beam provided with freely-rotating or loosely-mounted antifriction-rollers, exposed at one of its faces or sides for direct engagement and rotation in one direction by the material being raised, and means for preventing reverse rotation of the rollers by the opposite movement of the material; substantially as described.

3. A loading-beam, provided with a series of recesses and antifriction-rollers mounted loosely in said recesses and projecting thereabove for direct engagement and rotation in one direction by the material being raised, and means for preventing reverse rotation of the rollers by said material; substantially as described.

4. A loading-beam provided with a series of recesses and elongated journal bearing slots, in combination with antifriction-rolls arranged within and projecting beyond the recesses and journaled in the elongated bearings, the recesses and slots being so arranged that the rollers in their rear positions will bear against the inner surfaces of the recesses.

5. A loading-beam provided with a series of recesses and elongated downwardly inclined journal-bearing slots, in combination with an tifriction-rolls arranged within and projecting beyond the recesses, the recesses and slots being so arranged that the rollers in their rear positions willbear against the inner surfaces of the recesses.

(i. Areversiblel0ading-beam,provided with oppositely-projecting hooks at one end, loosely-monnted rollers projecting above one face or side of the beam for direct engagement and rotation in one direction by the material being raised, and means for preventing reverse rotation of the rollers by the said material; substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

EDUARD SCIIARRER.

\Vitnesses:

AUGUST DRAUTZ, WALTER SoHWAEBscH. 

